Tripe

Tripe

This is a beautiful system, well worth a visit and is a favourite of honeymooners the galaxy over, many of whom choose to stay. The primary star gives off a continual psychadelic light show that has a strange effect on observers when experienced directly, leading to sensations of euphoria and love. However, be warned, excessive exposure to this light WILL lead to mind alteration and it is highly recommended that visitors who intend to stay for extended periods of time wear protective goggles during daylight hours.

The population of Tripe is small, eclectic and somewhat eccentric. The people prefer to live in open communes in agricultural settings nested in the valleys between the rolling and colourful hills of the planet. At first glance, every second building is a spore-cafe and Trippers don't seem to do anything other than sit around and enjoy life. But, in fact, Tripe is the most productive research hub in the known universe, the citizens are more highly educated and intelligent than any other planet, and the place is a favourite location for retired professionals. Behind the scenes, the technological progress of Tripe is unmatched. Trippers could use their capabilities to dominate the known universe but they aren't interested in doing so. They choose to live and let live and have the power to protect themselves should any legion get any funny ideas (see history).

It is well worth a visit to the Tripe shipyards in orbit around the main planet, in the hope of seeing a legion Carrier under construction.

Multi-generation Trippers are rumoured to have enhanced mental abilities. Certainly, there appear to be no textbooks or design blueprints is sight, making it impossible for legion spies to steal anything. Everything appears to be purely mental, and it is rumoured that Trippers possess telepathic skills. The only way to find out is for a spy to become a Tripper, but then the individual no longer wishes to give the information back to the legion. Analysis of captured Trippers has proven useless as no one Tripper seems to possess enough knowledge to put together anything useful. And capture of Tripper technology has proven equally useless as it immediately turns to a puddle of goo as soon as any significant attempt at reverse engineering is made.

Significant Sentient Population

218 million

Allegiance

Independent, owned by the "Trippers" of Tripe

NOTAM

• Trippers known to be manipulating space-time in sector
• Peace loving hippies will weaken your shots

Hazards

• Don't hang around too long or you might end up like the locals
• Local cuisine may contain 'special' ingredients
• AVOID THE TOFU AT ALL COSTS
• Unwashed locals present a severe stink risk
• Pilots should be aware of the effects of high levels of tripsonic radiation

Economy

The bizarre psychadelic light show that is Tripe is a valuable source of tourism income, however little of this is actually seen by the Trippers. Foreign charter ships regularly run scenic tours in heavily shielded vessels, but none of the legitimate generated income makes its way to Tripe. It is, however, widely accepted that the Trippers make a packet selling psychotropic drugs to visitors.

One large export market is ship building. With the exception of Krilgorians, who HATE Trippers, all legions buy their repair ships from the Trippers as the ships are extremely cheap, well shielded and reliable. Trippers are also responsible for producing capital-class carriers for legions on request. Although different in appearance, to suit the design requests of each legion, all carriers are based on the Tripper Trooper.

Tripe is generally frustrating for economists who don't understand why the Trippers don't want to make more money and kill stuff. Trippers would be perfectly happy to just ignore the rest of the galaxy, but they do need some income to fund their continual development of ridiculous peacenik devices. Hence their hardware exports continue.

History

2102 - Discovery

Prior to discovering New Sector Alpha with its vast reserves of Manezium Gas, the range of spacecraft was very limited. However, even before the development of the first hyperdrive, Ajaxian scientists had theorized that it should be possible to make highly efficient, long range hyperjumps if the jump was initiated from a theoretical space-time formation known as a hypernode. Commissioned by the Ajaxian Navy in 2101, a fleet of research vessels, given the callsign group 'Tripper' and carrying advanced sensory arrays, launched into local Ajaxian space in a quest to find the first hypernode. A year later, the research vessel "Tripper IX" finally found a hypernode and, positioning itself in the node's focal point, engaged its hyperdrive, thereby becoming the first ship (in known history) to make a random hyperjump.

Upon arriving in the new sector, the research team's excitement rapidly evaporated as the crew realized just how much radiation their lightly shielded craft was being bombarded with. Being in an entirely new sector with no known hypergates out, and very little chance of finding another hypernode, prompted the chief investigator to comment, "goddamn, stupid freakin' sector......what a load if tripe", with which everybody agreed and the name stuck.

Perhaps it was fear of death, but the crew of Tripper IX then proceeded to pull of a feat that has never been repeated, discovering all three hypergate points in the sector in less than a week. Elation at mission control upon the detection of Tripper IX jumping home to Ajaxian space Apollo Sector soon turned to concern as it was discovered that the crew had all undergone psychological modification, babbling endlessly about such ludicrous concepts as the wonders of the universe, the possibility of universal peace and the folly of trying to establish an Ajaxian Universal Order. Clearly insane, the entire crew was committed to a high security mental facility on Ajaxus Prime where their dangerous and bizarre peace-loving activities could be monitored.

Tripe was officially given an 'avoid if possible' rating and traffic was generally restricted to autonomous cargo vessels or research ships bearing heavy radiation shielding. Still, many pilots ignored the warning, and the population of metal facilities continued to grow. Ajaxian researchers discovered the cause to be the exotic energy that permeates the sector, coming from the sun, and called it 'tripsonic radiation'.

2115 - Colonization

Over time, it became clear that tripsonic affected individuals posed little threat to the Ajaxian elite, and they were moved to low security communes and banned from interacting with standard Ajaxian society. Then, in 2115, showing a level of organization that surprised everyone, all the 'trippers' simply...left. Chartering a rickety old colony ship, they launched back into space and jumped through to Tripe. Distracted by war with the Tibrans, the Ajaxian authorities did not bother to chase after the ship. Although a memo was passed to blow it up, the Ajaxian navy decided that it wasn't worth wasting a missile.

The "Trippers", as they are now formerly known, arrived in Tripe and, much to the amusement of the Ajaxian elite, set about terraforming the main planet, an activity that would surely lead to doom given the amount of radiation. Months passed and the Trippers seemed fine. Years passed and they successfully built a high-tech, peace-loving series of communities amongst the rolling hills and psychadelic spore-fields of Tripe.

2130 - War

Seeing that the Trippers were not just surviving, but thriving, and suffering a continual brain-drain of scientists leaving Ajaxus to become Trippers, the Ajaxian military finally decided that enough was enough, and that it was time to crush these peace-loving hippies under the boot of good-ol' Ajaxian firepower.

Arriving in Tripe space and expecting zero resistance, the Ajaxian navy immediately launched a frontal attack, devoid of any strategy whatsoever and promptly got their asses handed to them on a plate. Freed from the burdens of Ajaxian administration, and boosted by the psychotropic effects of eating Tripe's vegetation, Tripper imagination had flourished leading to the development of all manner of prototype devices and more scientific advances than Ajaxians had achieved in 100 years. The Ajaxian attackers found that Tripe-space was jam-packed with an astonishing diversity of autonomous defense prototypes. Ajaxian shots were diverted, absorbed or reflected. 'Attack' drones popped in and out of view, seemingly randomly, beaming messages of peace and love straight into the minds of fighter pilots. Before too long, the entire Ajaxian attack fleet had arranged itself in a big circle, facing inwards and singing Kum Ba Yah.

It was then that the famous "Tripper Trooper" made its first appearance. The largest and most advanced spaceship known civilization had ever seen. Several of these behemoths quietly and smoothly cruised up to the Ajaxian fleet and extended the hand of peace. Eager Ajaxian pilots navigated their craft into the Trooper holding bays and were hence doomed forever more to become Trippers.

Seeing that their entire fleet was being 'acquired' by the Trippers, the brave Ajaxian elite, sitting on the outskirts of the sector, immediately engaged remote self-destruct on their fighters and jumped for home, a valuable lesson learned.